Oilfield equipment identification method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A system for identifying a piece of oilfield equipment having an exterior surface, the system having an identifier assembly that includes an RFID tag storing a unique identifier, an enclosure receiving and retaining the RFID tag, and a reader.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/156,610, filed onJun. 3, 2008 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,606,682; which is a continuation ofU.S. Ser. No. 11/435,170, filed on May 16, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No.7,389,205; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/269,465, filed onNov. 8, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,062,413; which is a continuation ofU.S. Ser. No. 10/634,061, filed on Aug. 4, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No.6,973,416; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/261,551, filed onSep. 30, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,063; which is a continuation ofU.S. Ser. No. 09/994,304, filed on Nov. 26, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No.6,480,811; which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/252,045, filed on Feb.17, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,292. The entire disclosures of U.S.Pat. Nos. 7,062,413, 6,973,416, 6,604,063, 6,480,811 and 6,347,292 arehereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The exploration, development and completion of an oil or gas fieldrequires numerous pieces of oilfield equipment, such as but not limitedto casing, drill pipe, packers, oilfield valves and other equipment. Thecost of this equipment is relatively high. Accordingly, it is desirableto optimally use and/or reuse many pieces of oilfield equipment forsubsequent drilling and development operations. However, equipmentundergoes considerable stress during drilling and completion operations.For example, pieces of oilfield equipment, such as drill pipe, maysuffer from material fatigue which may ultimately result in failure ofthe drill pipe. The failure of downhole equipment will require asuspension of drilling operations to recover the remainder of the drillstring and other related equipment. It will be appreciated that therecovery of a drill string can be an expensive and time-consumingoperation, which should be avoided, if possible. Accordingly, it isdesirable to maintain complete service records relating to variouspieces of oilfield equipment, such as, but not limited to, drill pipe,for the purposes of determining fatigue and other factors relating tothe use of the equipment. By maintaining an accurate, detailed record ofthe use, inspections, repair and maintenance for each piece of oilfieldequipment, the fatigue and other factors relating to the use of thepiece of oilfield equipment can be monitored. Thus, the piece ofoilfield equipment can be taken out of use before such piece of oilfieldequipment fails.

It is to such a method and apparatus for accurately maintaining servicerecords for various pieces of oilfield equipment that the presentinvention is directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an oilfield equipment identifying apparatus fortracking selected parameters for each of a plurality of pieces ofoilfield equipment adapted to be inserted into a drill string supportedby a drilling rig. The drilling rig supports a drilling device, whichselectively rotates the drill string, or a drill bit connected to thedrill string. The apparatus comprises a computer loaded with an oilfieldequipment database. A reader is provided for inputting into the computera unique identification code for each piece of oilfield equipment addedto the drill string so as to build a grid including a reference to eachpiece of oilfield equipment in the drill string.

The computer further includes a pipe utilization and identificationprogram and associated hardware for continuously and automaticallymonitoring the location in the drill string of each piece of oilfieldequipment identified in the grid and the cumulative rotating usage andnon-rotating usage of each piece of oilfield equipment identified in thegrid so as to provide an accurate representation of the historical datafor the user to calculate the fatigue of each piece of oilfieldequipment identified in the grid.

Real time reports can be generated from the pipe utilization andidentification program at any time by actuating a string report functionso that rig personnel can monitor the usage of each piece in the drillstring and take appropriate corrective action before a costly unexpectedevent occurs. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, theautomatic updating of the cumulative rotating usage and non-rotatingusage provides an accurate record of the rotating and non-rotating hoursof each piece, thereby substantially reducing the number of costlyinspections needed for determining the level of fatigue of each piece.

In other embodiments, various assemblies are provided to enhance thereliability of the pipe utilization and identification program. Forexample, in one embodiment, the oilfield equipment identifying apparatusincludes a fixed mount reader. The fixed mount reader is mounted on therig floor in a fixed position so that it is possible for the fixed mountreader to read an identification tag included in an identifier assemblymounted onto respective pieces of oilfield equipment without any manualintervention. Thus, the fixed mount reader makes the reading of theidentification assemblies more reliable and safe.

In addition, various mounting assemblies for efficiently, reliably andinexpensively attaching the identification assemblies to the pieces ofoilfield equipment are disclosed.

Other advantages, and features of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art when the following detaileddescription is read in conjunction with the attached drawings and theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic, diagrammatic view of an oilfield equipmentidentifying apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective, exploded view of an identifier assembly that isutilized in the oilfield equipment identifying apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial, cross-sectional view of a piece of oilfieldequipment, taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 4, illustrating a system formounting the identifier assembly shown in FIG. 2 into a piece ofoilfield equipment.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the piece of oilfield equipment having theidentifier assembly recessed therein.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view depicting another system for securelymounting the identifier assembly of the present invention onto the pieceof oilfield equipment.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of yet another system for securelymounting the identifier assembly of the present invention onto the pieceof oilfield equipment.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of still another system for securelymounting the identifier assembly of the present invention onto the pieceof oilfield equipment.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of an identifierassembly constructed in accordance with the present invention, which issecurely mounted on an exterior surface of the piece of oilfieldequipment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the identifier assembly and thepiece of oilfield equipment, taken along the lines 9-9 in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the identifier assembly and thepiece of oilfield equipment, taken along the lines 10-10 in FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a schematic, diagrammatic view of a second embodiment of anoilfield equipment identifying apparatus, constructed in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 12 is front elevational view of a typical screen on a monitor of acentral computer when the central computer is running a pipe utilizationand identification program constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of a fixed mount reader constructedin accordance with the present invention wherein the fixed mount readeris mounted onto an apparatus for turning the piece of oilfieldequipment.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the fixed mount reader depicted in FIG. 13wherein the fixed mount reader is positioned to read the identifierassembly mounted onto the piece of oilfield equipment.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the fixed mount reader depicted in FIG. 13wherein the piece of oilfield equipment is being positioned against thefixed mount reader.

FIG. 16 is a side-elevational, partial cross-sectional view of the fixedmount reader.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, showntherein and designated by the general reference numeral 10 is anoilfield equipment identifying apparatus, constructed in accordance withthe present invention. The oilfield equipment identifying apparatus 10includes a plurality of identifier assemblies 12 which are mounted onrespective pieces 14 of oilfield equipment. The pieces 14 of oilfieldequipment can be casing, drill pipe, packers, or the like. Therespective identifier assemblies 12 and pieces 14 of oilfield equipmentare designated in FIG. 1 by the reference numerals 12 a and 12 b, and 14a and 14 b, for purposes of clarity.

Each of the identifier assemblies 12 is capable of transmitting a uniqueidentification code for each piece 14 of oilfield equipment. Thus, theidentifier assembly 12 a includes a unique identification code touniquely identify the piece 14 a of oilfield equipment, and theidentifier assembly 12 b includes a unique identification code touniquely identify the piece 14 b of oilfield equipment.

As previously stated, the oilfield equipment identifying apparatus 10includes a plurality of identifier assemblies 12. For purposes ofclarity, however, only one such identifier assembly 12 will be describedhereinafter, it being understood that each of the identifier assembliescontained in each oilfield equipment identifying apparatus 10 issubstantially identical in its construction and arrangement of parts andfunction.

Still with reference to FIG. 1, the oilfield equipment identifyingapparatus 10 also includes a reader 18. The reader 18 is capable ofreading each of the identifier assemblies 12 in the plurality ofidentifier assemblies. The reader 18 includes a hand-held wand 20 whichcommunicates with a portable computer 22 via a signal path 24. In oneembodiment, each identifier assembly 12 includes a passive circuit asdescribed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,128, the disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference. When each identifierassembly 12 includes a passive circuit, the reader 18 can be constructedand operated in a manner as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,128.

In use, the wand 20 of the reader 18 is positioned near a particular oneof the identifier assemblies 12 located on the piece 14 of oilfieldequipment. The unique identification code is transmitted from theidentifier assembly 12 to the wand 20 via a signal path 26. Signal path26 can be an airwave communication system. Upon receipt of the uniqueidentification code, the wand 20 transmits such unique identificationcode to the portable computer 22 via the signal path 24. The portablecomputer 22 receives the unique identification code transmitted by thewand 20 and then decodes such unique identification code. Theidentification code identifying a particular one of the identifierassemblies 12 is then transmitted to a central computer 32 via a signalpath 34. The signal path 34 can be cable or airwave transmissionsystems.

The information transmitted to the central computer 32 from the portablecomputer 22 can either be done in real time, whereby each uniqueidentification code received by the wand 20 is immediately transmittedto the central computer 32, or in batch mode, wherein each uniqueidentification code is not transmitted to the central computer 32 untilafter a number of identifier assemblies 12 have been scanned by the wand20. Further, the decoded output from the portable computer 22 may bedirectly displayed on the portable computer 22 for verificationpurposes.

Referring now to FIG. 2, shown is a perspective, exploded view of one ofthe identifier assemblies 12. For purposes of clarity, the identifierassembly 12 is shown in FIG. 3 in an assembled condition. The identifierassembly 12 includes a cup member 36, an identification tag 38, and alid 40. The cup member 36 and lid 40 may be constructed of anelectrically insulating material, such as plastic or other durable,electrically isolating materials, so as to isolate the identificationtag 38 from the piece 14 of oil field equipment. The identification tag38 can be a passive circuit identification tag obtainable from Motorolaor Texas Instruments, for example. In general, the identification tag 38has stored therein a unique identification code. The construction andfunction of the identification tag 38 is discussed in more detail inU.S. Pat. No. 5,142,128, referred to previously, the disclosure of whichhas been expressly incorporated herein by reference.

In general, the cup member 36 includes a bottom 42 and a substantiallycontinuous sidewall 44, extending from the bottom 42 so as to define acavity 46. The bottom 42 and the sidewall 44 are sized and adapted sothat the identification tag 38 and the lid 40 can be disposed in thecavity 46.

Once the identification tag 38 and the lid 40 are disposed within thecavity 46 of the cup member 36, the cup member 36 and the lid 40 protectthe identification tag 38 from taking any direct hits from rigidmaterials. The interior surface of the sidewall 44 is substantiallysmooth so that the identification tag 38 and the lid 40 can be disposeddirectly in the cavity 46 without any twisting or other manipulation ofthe identification tag 38 and lid 40. In addition, the lid 40 and theidentification tag 38 are sized so as to have a loose fit within thecavity 46. As a result, the identification tag 38 is not sealed withinthe cup member 36. Thus, fluids, very small materials, and gases canpass around the lid 40 to engage the identification tag 38 when theidentification tag 38 and the lid 40 are disposed within the cavity 46of the cup member 36.

As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, respective alignedopenings 48, 50 and 52 are formed through the bottom 42, theidentification tag 38, and the lid 40. The aligned openings 48, 50 and52 are sized to receive a removable retainer, such as a screw,therethrough, if desired. It should be noted that in some embodiments,the identification tag 38 may not have the opening 50 formedtherethrough.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, one method of installing the identifierassembly 12 into one of the pieces 14 of oilfield equipment (depictedfor illustrative purposes only and not by way of limitation as a tooljoint pin connection of a section of drill pipe) is shown. A hole 56 isdrilled or milled into the piece 14 of oilfield equipment to provide forthe mounting therein of the identifier assembly 12. The hole 56 has apredetermined depth so that the identifier assembly 12 can be disposedin the hole 56 below a maximum wear diameter 57 of the piece 14 ofoilfield equipment. Once the identifier assembly 12 is disposed in thehole 56, the identifier assembly 12 is maintained in the hole 56 by asuitable retainer, such as a friction grip retainer 58, which is pressedinto the hole 56. The openings 48 and 52 formed through the bottom 42and the lid 40 serve to relieve pressure behind the identifier assembly12 so that such pressure does not build up behind the identifierassembly 12 and push the identifier assembly 12 out of the hole 56formed in the piece 14 of oilfield equipment. More specifically, theopenings 48 and 52 serve to relieve pressure from behind the bottom 42of the cup member 36. As shown in FIG. 4, the friction grip retainer 58includes a ring-shaped support portion 60 and a plurality of lugs 62extending therefrom. Only two of the lugs 62 have been numbered in FIG.4 for purposes of clarity. The lugs 62 of the friction grip retainer 58are sized such that the lugs 62 frictionally engage the piece 14 ofoilfield equipment when the friction grip retainer 58 is being pressedinto the hole 56 to prevent the inadvertent removal of the identifierassembly 12 and the retainer 58 from the hole 56.

The before-mentioned method of mounting the identifier assemblies 12 onthe pieces 14 of oilfield equipment, whereby the identifier assemblies12 are recessed in the pieces 14 of oilfield equipment, is especiallyuseful in applications where it is likely that the identifier assembly12 could be wiped off the exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 ofoilfield equipment. However, in certain instances, such as when thepiece 14 of oilfield equipment is a pump, a valve, an engine or otherpiece of oilfield equipment where the likelihood of the identifierassembly 12 being wiped off the exterior surface 66 is decreased, it hasbeen found to be more economical to mount the identifier assembly 12 tothe exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 of oilfield equipment.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, three systems for mounting theidentification assembly 12 to the exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 ofoilfield equipment are disclosed. As shown in FIG. 5, an opening 68 isformed through the exterior surface 66 of the piece 14. The opening 68has a threaded interior surface 70. The bottom 42 of the cup member 36is disposed adjacent the exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 of oilfieldequipment such that the openings 48, 50 and 52 are aligned with theopening 68 formed in the piece 14 of oilfield equipment. The identifierassembly 12 is held in this position while a threaded member 72, such asa screw, is disposed through the aligned openings 48, 50, 52 and 68. Thethreaded member 72 is then rotated so as to threadingly engage thethreaded interior surface 70 of the opening 68 to rigidly maintain theidentifier assembly 12 on the piece 14 of oilfield equipment. In thisposition, the identification tag 38 is compressed between the lid 40 andthe bottom 42 of the cup member 36 by the threaded member 72.

Referring now to FIG. 6, yet another system for mounting the identifierassembly 12 to the exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 of oilfieldequipment is shown. In this embodiment, a first bonding material 74,such as an epoxy, is disposed between the exterior surface 66 and thebottom 42 of the cup member 36 so as to bondingly connect the bottom 42of the cup member 36 to the exterior surface 66. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 6, a second bonding material 76, such as a layer of epoxy, isdisposed between the lid 40 and the cup member 36 so as to bondinglyconnect the lid 40 to the cup member 36, thereby retaining theidentification tag 38 within the cup member 36.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a third embodiment of a system for securing theidentifier assembly 12 to the exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 ofoilfield equipment is shown. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, aflexible retainer 80, such as a strap, string or a wire, is disposedabout the exterior surface 66 and threaded through a pair of alignedslots 81 a and 81 b formed through the cup member 36 of the identifierassembly 12. The flexible retainer 80 extends across the lid 40 so as toretain the lid 40 within the cavity 46 of the cup member 36. To retainthe identifier assembly 12 on the piece 14 of oilfield equipment, theends of the flexible retainer 80 can be secured together by any suitableconnector means so as to tightly dispose the flexible retainer 80 aboutthe exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 of oilfield equipment.

Shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, and designated by the general referencenumeral 90, is another embodiment of an identifier assembly constructedin accordance with the present invention. The identifier assembly 90 issubstantially identical in function to the identifier assembly 12,except that the identifier assembly 90 has been adapted and constructedto be resiliently and removably disposed about the exterior surface 66of the piece 14 of oilfield equipment for use in situations where it maybe likely that the mounting systems depicted in FIGS. 5-7 for theidentifier assembly 12 could be wiped off the exterior surface 66 of thepiece 14 of oilfield equipment or the piece 14 is a shoulderless drillpipe.

In FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the piece 14 of oilfield equipment is depicted forillustrative purposes only and not by way of limitation as a tool jointpin connection of a section of drill pipe. In general, the identifierassembly 90 is shaped to matingly conform to the exterior surface 66 ofthe piece 14 of oilfield equipment. In one embodiment, the identifierassembly 90 includes a first member 92 (FIGS. 9 and 10) and a secondmember 94. The first member 92 includes a layer of resilient material 92a supported on an underlying frame member 92 b. The second member 94includes a layer of resilient material 94 a supported on an underlyingframe member 94 b. The first member 92, and the second member 94 areshaped so as to matingly conform about the exterior surface 66 of thepiece 14 of oilfield equipment, as shown in FIGS. 8-10. The layers ofresilient materials 92 a and 94 a included in the first and secondmembers 92 and 94 can be constructed of a material which issubstantially impervious to hydrocarbons or oilfield chemicals, such asmolded or vulcanized rubber. The frame members 92 b and 94 b included inthe first and second members 92 and 94 can be constructed of a strong,durable material which is substantially impervious to hydrocarbons oroilfield chemicals, such as stainless steel.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first member 92 has a first end 96 and asecond end 98, and the second member 94 has a first end 100 and a secondend 102. The first end 96 of the first member 92 is disposedsubstantially adjacent the first end 100 of the second member 94. Inthis position, the first end 96 of the first member 92 is connected,either removably or permanently, to the first end 100 of the secondmember 94 via any suitable retainer 104, such as a pair of screws(shown) or a hinge. The second end 98 of the first member 92 is disposedsubstantially adjacent the second end 102 of the second member 94. Inthis position, the second end 98 of the first member 92 and the secondend 102 of the second member 94 are removably connected via any suitableretainer, such as a pair of screws 106. To prevent the identifierassembly 90 from rotating about the exterior surface 66, an opening 108can be provided through the first member 92 so that a correspondingretainer, such as a screw 110, can be disposed in the opening 108 andtightened against the exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 of oilfieldequipment. As best shown in FIG. 8, the second member 94 has a firstside 112 and a second side 114. To securely maintain the identificationtag 38 on the piece 14 of oilfield equipment, a slot 116 is formedthrough the first side 112 such that the slot 116 extends a distancetoward the second side 114. The slot 116 is sized and dimensioned toreceive the identification tag 38 therein. To maintain theidentification tag 38 securely within the slot 116, an opening 118,which communicates with the slot 116, is formed through the secondmember 94. In use, the identification tag 38 is placed in the slot 116such that the opening 50 formed through the identification tag 38 isaligned with the opening 118 formed through the second member 94. Inthis position, a retainer, such as a screw 120, is disposed through theopenings 118 and 50 formed through the second member 94 and theidentification tag 38, such that the screw 120 securely retains theidentification tag 38 within the slot 116.

Thus, it can be seen that the identifier assembly 90 provides arelatively inexpensive, secure method for removably mounting theidentification tag 38 on the exterior surface 66 of the piece 14 ofoilfield equipment. The layer of resilient material 94 a of the secondmember 94 is constructed of an electrical insulating material, so as toisolate the identification tag 38 from the piece 14 of oilfieldequipment. Any of the screws 104, 106, and 120 can be used incombination with an appropriate lock washer (not shown) so as to moresecurely maintain such screws 104, 106, and 120 in their respectiveopenings.

Referring now to FIG. 11, shown therein and designated by the generalreference numeral 150 is a second embodiment of an oilfield equipmentidentifying apparatus, constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. The oilfield equipment identifying apparatus 150 includes aplurality of the identifier assemblies 12 and/or 90 which are mounted onrespective pieces 14 of oilfield equipment as described above. Theoilfield equipment identifying apparatus 150 includes a reader 152,which communicates with the central computer 32.

The central computer 32 contains an oilfield equipment database whichfunctions the same as the oilfield equipment database set forth in U.S.Pat. No. 5,142,128, which disclosure has been incorporated herein byreference. In addition, the oilfield equipment database contained in thecentral computer 32 is provided with additional functionality, as willbe described hereinafter. The oilfield equipment identifying apparatus150 has been constructed and adapted to be utilized in reading theidentifier assemblies 12 on various pieces 14 of oilfield equipmentlocated on the rig floor 151 of an oil drilling rig.

The reader 152 includes a hand-held wand 156. The hand-held wand 156 isconstructed in a similar manner as the hand-held wand 20, which wasdescribed hereinbefore with reference to FIG. 1. The wand 156 isgenerally adapted to be carried by an individual working on the rigfloor 151 so that the individual can position the hand-held wand 156near various identifier assemblies 12 and download the uniqueidentification code stored in the identifier assemblies 12 so that thevarious pieces 14 of oilfield equipment can be identified. The hand-heldwand 156 is attached to a storage box 158 via a signal path 160, whichis typically a cable having a length of about forty feet, for example.Storage box 158 is positioned on the rig floor 151 and serves as areceptacle to receive the hand-held wand 156 and the signal path 160when the hand-held wand 156 is not in use.

An electronic conversion package 162 communicates with a connector onthe storage box 158 via signal path 164, which may be an airway or acable communication system so that the electronic conversion package 162receives the signals indicative of the identification code stored in theidentifier assemblies 12, which is read by the hand-held wand 156. Inresponse to receiving such signal, the electronic conversion package 162converts the signal into a format which can be communicated anappreciable distance therefrom. For example, the electronic conversionpackage 162 may convert the signal received from the hand-held wand 156into or from RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, or RS-530 format. The convertedsignal is then output by the electronic conversion package 162 to aprofibuss 166 via a signal path 168. The profibuss 166, which isconnected to the drilling rig local area network and/or the programmablelogic controller (not shown) in a well-known manner, receives theconverted signal output by the electronic conversion package 162.

The central computer 32 includes an interface unit 170. The interface170 communicates with the central computer 32 via a signal path 172,which may be an RS-232 communication port, or other serial device, or aparallel port. The interface unit 170 may also communicates with theprofibuss 166 via a signal path 173. The interface unit 170 receives thesignal, which is indicative of the unique identification codes read bythe hand-held wand 156, from the profibuss 166, and a signal from adrilling monitoring device 174 via a signal path 176. The drillingmonitoring device 174 communicates with at least a portion of a drillingdevice 178 via a signal path 179. The drilling device 178 can besupported by the rig floor 151, or by the drilling rig. The drillingdevice 178 can be any drilling device which is utilized to turn pieces14 of oilfield equipment, such as drill pipe or a drill bit to drill awell bore. For example, but not by way of limitation, the drillingdevice 178 can be a rotary table supported by the rig floor 151, or atop mounted drive supported by the drilling rig, or a downhole mud motorsuspended by the drill string and supported by the drilling rig.

The drilling monitoring device 174 monitors the drilling device 178 soas to determine when the piece 14 or pieces 14 of oilfield equipment inthe drill string are in a rotating condition or a non-rotatingcondition. The drilling monitoring device 174 outputs a signal to theinterface unit 170 via the signal path 176, the signal being indicativeof whether the piece(s) 14 of oilfield equipment are in the rotating orthe non-rotating condition. As will be explained hereinafter, thecentral computer 32 is loaded with a pipe utilization and identificationprogram in its oilfield equipment database which receives andautomatically utilizes the signal received by the interface unit 170from the signal path 176 to monitor, on an individualized basis, therotating and non-rotating hours of each piece 14 of oilfield equipmentin the drill string. In one embodiment, the drilling monitoring device174 is a tachometer communicating with the drilling device 178.

For example, when the drilling device 178 is the downhole mud motor(which selectively rotates the drill string's drill bit while the drillstring's pipe remains stationary), the central computer 32 logs thenon-rotating usage of each piece 14 of the drill string's pipe. In thecase where the drilling device 178 is the downhole mud motor, thecentral computer 32 has stored therein a reference indicating that thedrilling device 178 is the downhole mud motor so that the centralcomputer 32 can accurately log the non-rotating usage of each piece 14of oilfield equipment included in the drill string that suspends thedrilling device 178.

Shown in FIG. 12 is a typical screen 182 on a monitor 184 of the centralcomputer 32, when the central computer 32 is running the pipeutilization and identification program included in the oilfieldequipment database. The screen 182 includes a grid 186 for organizingthe information displayed by the pipe utilization and identificationprogram on the screen 182. The grid 186 is comprised of a plurality ofcolumns of data and the data is descriptive of particular features ofeach piece 14 of oilfield equipment included in a drill string. The datacolumns may be, but are not limited to, a position in the drill stringcolumn 188, a unique identification code column 190, a serial numbercolumn 192, a description column 194, a strap length column 196, anowner column 198, a rotating hour column 200, a non-rotating hour column202, and a total footage drilled column 204.

The screen 182 also displays three fields, designated in FIG. 12 as a“Tube” field 206, a “BHA” field 208, and a “Total” field 210. The Tubefield 206 displays the length of the pipe that is currently being usedin the drill string for drilling the oil well. The BHA field 208displays the length of the bottom hole assembly that is currently beingutilized in the drill string. The Total field 210 displays the sum ofthe lengths of the tube assembly and the bottom hole assembly.

The screen 182 is provided with a trip function 212, which is used whenall pieces 14 of oilfield equipment are pulled out of the hole, or a bitor other piece 14 of oilfield equipment is changed. The trip function212 will update the total footage of each joint of pipe in the drillstring as far as total footage is concerned. When one of the pieces 14of oilfield equipment, such as a joint of pipe, is scanned by the wand156, such piece is added to the top of the drill string, the length ofthat piece 14 is added to the previous amount of footage in the drillstring and displayed in the total footage column 204.

The pipe utilization and identification program is also provided with aTD function 214, as indicated on the screen 182. When actuated, the TDfunction 214 will clear the grid 186 and store the data in a historicaldatabase for future reference. The TD function 214 must be errorprotected with an <ARE YOU SURE?> function to stop inadvertent erasureof the grid 186.

The pipe utilization and identification program also includes a “removefunction” 216, which permits an individual to remove the indication inthe database of one of the pieces 14 of oilfield equipment in anyposition in the drill string by merely highlighting the piece 14 andactuating the “remove function” 216. When the piece 14 is removed, arecord is added to the historical database to indicate where the piece14 was in the drill string, and when the piece 14 was removed from thedrill string.

The pipe utilization and identification program is also provided with an“add function” 218, to permit an individual to add a new recordindicative of the historical information of a particular one of thepieces 14 of oilfield equipment, when a piece 14 is added to the top ofthe drill string while drilling. If the identifier assembly 12 on thepiece 14 is scanned from the rig floor 151, the piece 14 will godirectly to the top of the drill string, and a reference in the pipeutilization and identification program will be created in the grid 186to indicate that such piece 14 has been added to the drill string.Historical (or cumulative) information regarding such piece 14 will beretrieved from the historical database and added to the grid 186 so thatcumulative data for the piece 14 is monitored.

The pipe utilization and identification program also includes a “replacefunction” 220, which is used when a specific piece 14 of oilfieldequipment is to be replaced in the drill string. The identificationassembly 12 on the piece 14 can be scanned with the wand 156 from therig floor 151, thereby automatically highlighting the piece 14 on thescreen 182 (by the pipe utilization and identification program matchingthe identification code stored in the column 190 with the scannedidentification code). Alternatively, the piece 14 to be replaced can behighlighted manually via a mouse (not shown) connected to the centralcomputer 32. The “replace function” 220 is then actuated and the newpiece 14 is added to the grid 186 of the pipe utilization andidentification program in a similar manner as described above withreference to the “add function” 218. Information about the removed piece14 is then recorded in the historical database.

The pipe utilization and identification program is also provided with abottom hole assembly function 222. The bottom hole assembly function222, when actuated, displays only the pieces 14 that are in the bottomhole assembly on the grid 186.

The pipe utilization and identification program also includes a stringreport function 224. The string report function 224 generates a reportto screen or printer of all pieces 14 currently being used in a drillstring. Included in the report can be all of the information set forthin the grid 186.

A rental function 226 is also included in the pipe utilization andidentification program. The rental function 226 is utilized when aparticular piece 14 of oilfield equipment is rented from anothercompany. The rental function 226 may include fields for historical ordescriptive data, such as item description, owner, serial number,optional rotating hours, optional non-rotating hours, and requiredshoulder-to-shoulder length, for example. The records in the rentalfunction 226 can be saved to a file, retrieved from a file, removed froma file, and/or added to the grid 186 via various buttons on the screen182.

Thus, it can be seen that when the identifier assemblies 12 on thepieces 14 of oilfield equipment, such as a joint of pipe, drill collar,heavyweight drill pipe or the like, is scanned via the reader 152 on therig floor 151, data regarding that particular piece 14 is obtained fromthe historical database by the central computer 32 and displayed in thegrid 186 on the screen 182. As each piece 14 of the drill string isadded to the drill string for drilling, an indication of each suchcomponent is displayed in succession on the monitor 184 in the grid 186,exactly as such piece is being used in the drill string to give anindication of the piece's location in the drill string.

Therefore, it can be seen that displayed in the grid 186 isidentification information such as identification code, serial number,description, length, cumulative rotating hours, cumulative non-rotatinghours, total footage, stand number and stand placement regarding thespecific pieces 14 being used.

Various functions are also provided to allow the user to review data oneach individual piece 14 in the grid 186 by selecting such piece 14 bydouble-clicking on it, for example. Various current data can be reviewedfor each piece 14, such as inspections, repairs, logistics, purchasing,applications and spare parts, if required, as indicated by the functions228, 230 and 232.

In addition, the central computer 32 automatically and continuouslymonitors the signal path 172 so as to determine whether the drillingdevice 178 is in the rotating condition or the non-rotating condition.If the signal received by the central computer 32 on the signal path 172indicates that one or more of the pieces 14 in the drill string arerotating, the pipe utilization and identification program included inthe oilfield equipment database automatically and continuously updatesthe information in the rotating hour column 200 for each of the pieces14 in the grid 18 that are rotating, and the information in thenon-rotating hour column 202 for each of the pieces 14 that are notrotating so as to monitor the cumulative rotating usage and non-rotatingusage for each piece 14 in the grid 186. If the signal received by thecentral computer 32 on the signal path 172 from the interface unit 170indicates that all of the pieces 14 of oilfield equipment in the drillstring are in the non-rotating condition, the pipe utilization andidentification program included in the oilfield equipment databaseautomatically updates the information in the non-rotating hour column202 for each of the pieces 14 in the grid 186, so as to monitor thecumulative non-rotating usage for each piece 14 in the grid 186.

In one embodiment, the pipe utilization and identification program mayupdate either the rotating hour column 200 or the non-rotating hourcolumn 202 at least ten times per minute. This allows real time storageof rotating hours for each piece 14 being used in the drill string. Realtime reports can be generated from the pipe utilization andidentification program at any time by actuating the string reportfunction 224 so that rig personnel can monitor the usage of each piece14 in the drill string and take appropriate corrective action before acostly unexpected event occurs. Furthermore, the loading of thehistorical information and the automatic and continuous updating of theinformation in the rotating hour column 200 and the non-rotating hourcolumn 202 provides an accurate record of the historical or cumulativerotating and non-rotating hours of each piece 14, thereby substantiallyreducing the number of costly inspections needed for determining thelevel of fatigue of each piece 14.

Referring now to FIG. 13, shown therein is a prior art apparatus 250 forturning the piece 14 of oilfield equipment (in this case a piece ofoilfield pipe) to connect a pin connection 252 of the piece 14 to a boxconnection 254 of an adjacently disposed piece 14 in a well-knownmanner. The apparatus 250 can be, for example but not by way oflimitation, a Model MH 1178 hydraulically operated ROUGHNECK obtainablefrom Maritime Hydraulics.

The apparatus 250 is supported on wheels 256 which engage tracks (notshown) positioned on the rig floor 151 for moving the apparatus 250towards and away from the well bore. Formed on an upper end of theapparatus 250 is a pipe spinner assembly 258 (or rotating device) forselectively engaging and turning the piece 14 to connect the pinconnection 252 to the box connection 254. A funnel-shaped mudguard 260can be disposed below the pipe spinner assembly 258. The mudguard 260defines a mudguard bore 262, which is sized and adapted so as to receivethe piece 14 of oilfield equipment therethrough. It should be noted thatin some embodiments, the apparatus 250 is not provided with the mudguard260. The apparatus 250 also includes a torque assembly or torque wrench263 which (in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 13) is disposed below thepipe spinner assembly 258.

In accordance with the present invention, an opening 264 is formedthrough the mudguard 260 (when the mudguard 260 is present on theapparatus 250) such that the opening 264 communicates with the mudguardbore 262. In one embodiment, the oilfield equipment identifyingapparatus 150 includes a fixed mount reader 266 for automating thereading of the identifier assemblies 12, rather than the hand-held wand156. The fixed mount reader 266 constructed in accordance with thepresent invention is mounted onto a flange 268. The flange 268 islocated on the apparatus 250 and extends substantially adjacent to thepiece 14 of oilfield equipment when the piece 14 of oilfield equipmentis being spun by the pipe spinner assembly 258. In the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 13, the flange 268 is located substantially adjacent tothe opening 264 so as to position the fixed mount reader 266 through theopening 264 whereby the fixed mount reader 266 is located adjacent tothe piece 14 of oilfield equipment when the piece 14 of oilfieldequipment is being spun by the pipe spinner assembly 258. In general,the fixed mount reader 266 can be located on the apparatus 250 below thepipe spinner assembly 258 and above the torque assembly or torque wrench263.

As best shown in FIGS. 14-16, a pipe-engaging portion 272 of the fixedmount reader 266 extends through the opening 264 into the mudguard bore262 whereby the pipe-engaging portion 272 is positioned to engage thepiece 14 of oilfield equipment when the piece 14 is disposed within themudguard 260. Thus, the pipe-engaging portion 272 has access to theidentification assemblies 12, which are disposed on or near the pinconnection of the respective pieces 14 during the operation of theapparatus 250. When the fixed mount reader 266 is mounted on theapparatus 250, it is possible for the fixed mount reader 266 to read theidentification tags 38 (not shown in FIGS. 14-16) within the identifierassemblies 12 without any manual intervention, thus making the readingof the identification assemblies 12 more reliable and safe.

When the apparatus 250 comes into contact with the piece 14 (to eitherspin it into position or torque it to specification), the pipe engagingportion 272 of the fixed mount reader 266 on the apparatus 250 alsocomes into contact with the piece 14. As the piece 14 is spun intoplace, the fixed mount reader 266 reads the identification tag 38located in the identifier assembly 12, and transmits the uniqueidentification code stored in the identification tag 38 to theelectronics conversion package 162 via a signal path 274, whereby thesignal including the unique identification code is ultimatelytransmitted to the central computer 32 via the signal paths 168, 172 and173, and the profibuss 166 and the interface unit 170 as shown in FIG.11.

One embodiment of the fixed mount reader 266 will now be described inmore detail. The fixed mount reader 266 includes a housing 280. Thehousing 280 is adapted to be connected to the flange 268 (as best shownin FIG. 16) via any suitable connector assembly, such as a plurality ofbolts 281 which are disposed through corresponding openings 282 formedthrough the housing 280.

As best shown in FIG. 16, the housing 280 is provided with a first end284, a second end 286, an upper end 288, and a lower end 290. An antennareceiving opening 292 is formed through the second end 286 of thehousing 280 and extends a distance therefrom towards the first end 284.The antenna receiving opening 292 is sized and adapted to receive anantenna 294 (which may have a rectangular cross-section) therethroughsuch that the antenna 294 can be slidably movable in the antennareceiving opening 292 generally toward the piece 14 and away from thepiece 14.

The antenna 294 reads the unique identification code stored in theidentification tag 38 provided in the identifier assemblies 12 (whichare mounted on the pieces 14 as discussed above), and transmits theunique identification code stored in the identification tag 38 to theelectronics conversion package 162 via the signal path 274, whereby thesignal including the unique identification code is ultimatelytransmitted to the central computer 32 via the signal paths 168, 172 and173, and the profibuss 166 and the interface unit 170. When theidentification tag 38 is provided with the passive circuit (as discussedhereinbefore), the antenna 294 is tuned to read the uniqueidentification code stored in the identification tag 38.

The housing 280 of the fixed mount reader 266 supports the pipe engagingportion 272 such that the pipe engaging portion 272 extends a distancepast the second end 286 of the housing 280. The pipe engaging portion272 is provided with a rod 296 which is disposed in a correspondingopening 298 formed in the housing 280. The rod 296 is sized anddimensioned to be slidably movable in the opening 298 such that the pipeengaging portion 272 is movable generally away from and towards thesecond end 286 of the housing 280 and is thereby movable away from andtowards the piece 14.

A bias assembly 300 is disposed in the opening 298 and supported by thehousing 280. The bias assembly 300 engages the housing 280 and the rod296 so as to bias the rod 296 in a direction 302 generally towards thepiece 14. Thus, the bias assembly 300 maintains the pipe engagingportion 272 securely engaged with the piece 14 as the apparatus 250 isspinning or torquing the piece 14 into its proper position. Furthermore,the bias assembly 300 absorbs any impact from the piece 14 with theapparatus 250 when the piece 14 is moved against the pipe engagingportion 272. In one embodiment, the bias assembly 300 can be a spring.

As best shown in FIG. 16, the pipe engaging portion 272 of the fixedmount reader includes a housing 304. The housing 304 is connected to therod 296 and is thereby supported by the rod 296.

The housing 304 of the pipe engaging portion 272 is provided with anantenna receiving opening 306, which is aligned with the antennareceiving opening 292 formed in the housing 280 of the fixed mountreader 266. The antenna 294 extends into the antenna receiving opening306 and is secured to the housing 304 via any suitable connectorassembly, such as bolts.

The housing 304 of the pipe engaging portion 272 includes a first side308, a second side 310, an upper end 312 and a lower end 314. The pipeengaging portion 272 includes a pair of fixed roller assemblies 316, anda pair of movable roller assemblies 317 for maintaining the antenna 294at a preselected distance from the piece 14 while the antenna 294 isreading the identification tags 38 mounted on the piece 14.

The fixed roller assemblies 316 include a roller mount 318 and a roller320. For purposes of clarity, the fixed roller assemblies 316, themovable roller assemblies 317, the roller mounts 318 and the rollers 320are designated in FIGS. 14-16 with the same numeral prefix, i.e., “316”,“317”, “318” and “320”, but with different alphabetic suffixes “a” and“b.” The roller mount 318 a of the fixed roller assembly 316 a isconnected to the upper end 312 of the housing 304 such that at least aportion of the roller 320 a extends past the housing 304 to engage thepiece 14. The roller mount 318 b of the fixed roller assembly 316 b isconnected to the lower end 314 of the housing 304 such that at least aportion of the roller 320 b extends past the housing 304 to engage thepiece 14.

Each of the movable roller assemblies 317 a and 317 b includes a leg324, a roller 326 and a bias assembly 328. The leg 324 includes a firstend 330 and a second end 332. The bias assembly 328 is mounted on thefirst end 330 of the leg 324, and the roller 326 is mounted on thesecond end 332 of the leg 324.

The movable roller assembly 317 a is pivotally connected to the firstside 308 of the housing 304 such that the roller 326 a extends past thehousing 304 to engage the piece 14, and the bias assembly 328 a engagesthe housing 304 to force the roller 326 a against the piece 14 therebymaintaining the roller 326 a securely engaged with the piece 14 duringreading of the identification tag 38. The movable roller assembly 317 bis pivotally connected to the second side 310 of the housing 304 suchthat the roller 326 b extends past the housing 304 to engage the piece14, and the bias assembly 328 b engages the housing 304 to force theroller 326 b against the piece 14 thereby maintaining the roller 326 bsecurely engaged with the piece 14 during reading of the identificationtag 38.

Changes may be made in the embodiments of the invention describedherein, or in the parts or the elements of the embodiments describedherein, or in the steps or sequence of steps of the methods describedherein, without departing from the spirit and/or the scope of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

1. A system for identifying a piece of oilfield equipment having anexterior surface, the system comprising: an identifier assemblycomprising: an RFID tag storing a unique identifier, the RFID capable ofoutputting a signal indicative of the unique identifier; and anenclosure receiving and retaining the RFID tag, the enclosure connectedto the exterior surface of the piece of oilfield equipment beyond anexternal surface perimeter of the piece of oilfield equipment; and areader receiving the signal indicative of the unique identifier from theRFID tag.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier assembly isattached to the piece of oilfield equipment via a fastener which isreceived through an aperture extending through at least a portion of theidentifier assembly.
 3. A method of installing an identifier assemblyonto an exterior surface of a piece of oilfield equipment, the methodcomprising the step of: attaching an identifier assembly to the exteriorsurface of the piece of oilfield equipment, the identifier assemblycomprising: an RFID tag storing a unique identifier, the RFID capable ofoutputting a signal indicative of the unique identifier; and anenclosure receiving and retaining the RFID tag, the enclosure connectedto the exterior surface of the piece of oilfield equipment beyond anexternal surface perimeter of the piece of oilfield equipment.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the identifier assembly is attached to theexternal surface of the piece of oilfield equipment via a fastener whichis inserted through an aperture extending through at least a portion ofthe identifier assembly and into the external surface of the piece ofoilfield equipment.